Welcome to the Life of a Ninja
by Violet Spectrum
Summary: When the ninja must face the Serpentine, and the prophecy of the Green Ninja, what's the last thing they need? More ninja! What are they gonna get? More ninja! The two teens in the village seem like likely candidates, but just what are they hiding? And who are these others that keep showing up out of the blue for training! T for language and maybe some heavy romance.
1. Who are they?

**Hey! Finally decided to make a new story, and this one will premeire my three favorite Ninjago OCs! So yeah, I'm really excited about it. This will follow the same basic plot and events of the second season, but will change things according to your guy's reactions. **

**I don't own Ninjago, or my characters wouldn't be OCs.**

* * *

In a small town, not too far from Jamanakai village, two people ran through the streets. The taller was a boy with ragged brown hair and grey eyes. His brown combat boots pounded against the ground, one of his strides taking two of his companion's. The girl next to him struggled to keep up, her red hair streaming behind her. They tore past the limits and headed for the village on the mountain.

"Come on!" he urged. "Once we get to town, we can loose him easily!"

She blinked, her deep blue eyes eyes wide with fear. "Yeah. Let's hurry though!"

The two tore up the mountainous path. Reaching the village, they merged with the crowds and slowed, catching their breath. "We lost him," the boy looked back.

"For now," she sniffed, ready to cry. "Why can't he just leave me alone, or go back to the way he used to be!"

"Shhh, it's alright Claire," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "I promise, I won't let him hurt you."

"Damien, he scares me!"

"Shhh, I know. Here, why don't we go see what's going on over there?" Damien pointed to a crowd by the candy store. Claire nodded and pulled him over.

"You just made me your nemesis!" a small boy flailed from where he was hanging from the sign to the store. Underneath it, staring up were four teenagers, each in a differently colored ninja suit.

"Next time, try paying for your candy," the one in black advised, flipping back his hood to reveal a handsome head of raven-colored hair. The others followed suit, the one in white going to the stall outside the store. The spiky-haired blonde bought the treats on display and passed them to his buddies.

"Crime doesn't pay muchacho," the one in red with wild brown hair pointed at the boy sternly. "And you can take that to the bank."

The blue-clad teen with auburn hair chomped his treat in a teasing manner. "Mmm, cotton candy!"

The boy growled and yelled at the ninja angrily. The four teens laughed and walked away. As they passed, Claire couldn't stop staring at them. She accidently brushed shoulders with the blonde, and the two stared at each other.

"Zane." the boy in red called, snapping his fingers in the white ninja's face.

"Come on, you've been staring at her for like, a minute!" the blue ninja snickered.

"Grow up Jay, this is Zane we're talking about," the black ninja rolled his eyes. "Kai, grab Zane and let's go."

Kai, the red ninja, nodded and pulled the Zane down the street. Jay began whining to Cole, the ninja in black as their voices faded.

"His shoulder actually touched mine," Claire whispered in awe. "Day, I got to touch a ninja!"

Damien glared jealously after the ninja before smiling at his friend. "That's great. Now come on, we have to keep moving, or he'll find us."

The two wandered away, neither noticing the boy being helped down by another teenager.

* * *

"Zane, why were you staring at that girl like that?" Cole asked as the ninja approached their dragons. Zane shrugged.

"When we brushed against each other, I sensed something in her. She is special. I felt it in her companion as well."

"You sensed something?" Kai wondered. "Maybe we should take them to see Sensei?" He hopped up on his dragon, accidentally knocking a scroll out of a saddlebag. Zane picked it up and handed it to Kai. "I don't remember putting this in my bag!"

"That's Sensei's bag," Zane explained and pointed at the bag. "You must have grabbed it by mistake in the rush." Kai blinked and unrolled the scroll.

"What is that?" Jay asked, walking over. Kai gave him a look over the paper.

"It's a scroll windbag!"

"I know its a scroll!" the blue ninja whined. "But what does it say? It's written in chickenscratch!"

"Not chickenscratch," Zane cut in, "the ancient language of our ancestors."

"Uh, can you read it!" Kai asked eagerly.

"Well, I can try," he said, pointing at the faded writing. "This symbol means prophecy."

"Prophecy?" Jay wondered.

"It means it tells the future," Kai said, as if it were obviosus.

"Course, ha-ha!" Jay tried to cover his embarrassment. "I knew that!"

"One ninja..." Zane read slowly, "shall rise above the others...and become the Green Ninja...the ninja destined... to defeat the Dark Lord!"

"Ooh look, a picture!" Jay gasped. On the page was a picture of a ninja dressed in green. Surrounding him were four smaller ninja figures in blue, red, white and black. What none of them noticed were the smallest pictures in across the bottom of the page.

"Dark Lord? Hold on, you think they mean Lord Garmadon?" Kai gasped. "Wait a minute, is that us? Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Like how good I'm gonna look in green!" Jay smirked.

"Ha!" Kai laughed. "It's obvious I'm gonna be the Green Ninja!"

"The color obviously suits me!" Jay aruged.

"Clearly I am the best!" Zane started, only to be cut off by Cole.

"Everyone stop it!" he jumped in front of them. "Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place, we're a team! We weren't meant to see this, and probably for good reason!" He took the scroll from Kai. "C'mon, let's head back home. We have training to do."

The ninja jumped on their dragons, Jay, then Zane, then Cole and then Kai.

"It's about time I added some finesse to my routine."

"I could use some exercise."

"Yeah. I gotta work on some new moves."

The three ninja took off on their dragons, but Kai stopped for a moment. "Could I be the Green Ninja?" he wondered out loud, before snapping the reins and sending his dragon after its brothers.

* * *

Further north, on a different mountain, the boy from the village was walking. His small legs trudged through the snow as he grumbled to his companion.

The other was a teenage boy, maybe around eighteen or nineteen. His hair was trapped under a baseball cap in a bright yellow, and his black jeans with a green shirt made him stand out vibrantly against the snow. His deep brown eyes carefully watched the black-cloaked boy he had decided to watch over.

"Stupid ninja," the boy groaned. He kicked a stone a few feet away. "I'll show them who they're dealing with!"

The older boy just walked along silently, partially absorbed in his own musings. _'This kid...if he is the son of Lord Garmadon...maybe he could help me...or his dad may, if he knew I protected his kid from bullies...'_ He looked at the boy and pain flashed across his face. _'Not to mention, he looks to be around the same age as when...'_ he shook his head.

There was a clang as the boy kicked the rock over a small ridge. The two males hurried forward, the boy kneeling down to brush snow away from the pattern on the ground.

"Lloyd," the teenager spoke for the first time, addressing his charge. "Get away from that. It may be dangerous."

"Shut up Oscar, I'll do what I want!" Lloyd snapped back, hand accidentally brushing a hidden lever. With a puff of green mist, the symbol began to open, shaking the ground. Lloyd yelped and would have fallen in had Oscar not leaned over and grabbed him.

Suddenly, the slippery ground under his feet caught up with Oscar and he fell, Lloyd tumbling with him. The two rushed down the slide of ice that led downwards from the entrance. Oscar landed first, the wind knocked out of him. Lloyd landed on top of him, leaving the teen dazed.

The sound of something moving over the ice made the two look up. A large, blue, humanoid snake with arms was heading towards them.

"You are out of your mindsssss," it hissed in a male voice, low and soothing, "to venture sssssso far from home, little onessssss."

The two stood up, shakily backing away. Lloyd hid behind Oscar, who layed a comforting hand on the boy's head.

"N-now listen here!" Oscar stammered, eyeing the staff that the snake carried. It could probably do some serious damage. "I'm sorry if we came in uninvited, it was an accident. If you could just point us to the exit, we would be on our way and-" He was cut off by a rattling sound, the snake shaking the tip of its tail.

"Look into my eyessssss," he smirked at the two. "Give up your mindsssss. I control you." Oscar backed up until Lloyd hit a large chunk of ice, knocking the small boy into his legs. The teen crouched down and wrapped his arms protectively around Lloyd, both their eyes squeezing shut. The snake was left staring at his own reflection, which bounced back the hypnotic rays. "Oh my..."

Lloyd looked at the reflection and saw that the snake was hypnotized. "No, I will control you from now on!" he commanded, standing up. Oscar stood up as well, brushing ice shavings off his clothes.

"What ssssshall you have ussssss do Massssster?" the snake asked, giving a respectful bow of his head.

"Us?" Lloyd asked, looking around in confusion. With a series of menacing hisses, more humanoid snakes emerged, all of them with legs instead of a tail. Lloyd rubbed his hands together as if he were a villain on a TV show. "My own army of snakes!" He began to laugh in an attempt to sound maniacal. Oscar looked around, impressed by their numbers.

* * *

Claire and Damien were browsing through the market, looking to kill as much time as possible before having to return home. Claire was looking at a vegetable stall when she accidently bumped into someone else. Both went down, Claire letting out a squeak. She looked up to see she had run into a dark-haired girl with a red outfit.

"Oh gosh!" she gasped, scrambling to help the girl pick up her fallen property. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," the girl smiled. "I wasn't paying attention." Damien rushed over and knelt down to help.

"You okay Claire?" he checked. She nodded and he looked to the other girl. "Are you okay Miss?"

"I'm fine, and you can call me Nya."

"I'm Claire," the redhead smiled. "And this is my friend Damien."

"Nice to meet you," Nya smiled, then gasped when she saw something over their shoulders. Lloyd was coming out of a candy store with a large wheelbarrow of the treats.

"Take the candy!" Lloyd shouted. "Take it all!"

But it wasn't Lloyd that Nya was gasping at. It was the humanoid snakes that followed after. They glared at a group of gawking villagers, hypnotizing them. Claire and Damien both backed away, standing next to Nya, when Claire suddenly felt something cold and pointed pressed into her back.

"Hello Claire," a menacing voice snarled and she didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Hello Oscar," she whimpered. Damien turned and glared at him. Nya gasped when she saw the ice sword that the oldest teen weilded.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "Put that away before you hurt someone!"

Oscar laughed, eyes focused on the back of Claire's head. "Keep your nose out of it, Sweetheart. This is personal between us."

"Sweetheart?" she gasped. "Oh, you did not just call me-"

"Nya, please," Claire turned her head to look at her new aquaintance. "Just walk away. You don't need to be involved in this."

"But-"

"Nya, go hide from the snakes," Damien growled, pulling a kama out from his boot. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

Nya frowned, but ran away as the snakes came closer.

"Oscar, what are you doing?" Lloyd demanded.

"Lloyd, finish what you wanted to do," Oscar sighed. "I just have to finish catching up with my...friends here. I'll only be a minute."

Lloyd only shrugged and laughed. "I'm never coming down from this sugar high!"

Suddenly, there was chaos as the ninjas jumped from out of nowhere, Nya in their midst. The five teenagers began beating on the snakes. Jay ran over to where Oscar, Claire and Damien stood. His nunchuks were out and he pointed them at the two boys.

"Weapons away, unless you're going to fight snakes," he warned. Damien shook his head.

"Not until he does," he growled, leveling his kama at Oscar. The elder laughed and moved his sword away from Claire. Suddenly, he swung it forward, aiming to take her head off.

"Not until she's dead!"

What happened next was so fast, Jay barely had time to react. As the sword traveled towards her, Claire ducked and dropped to the ground. A pair of tonfa whipped out from under her jacket and she swung at Oscar's legs, knocking him to the ground. The hat on his head fell off, revealing curly red hair that matched Claire's.

"Hey! I said put them away!" Jay shouted, waving his nunchuks to charge up electricity.

"Retreat!" they suddenly heard from Lloyd. It was repeated by the snake with the staff. Oscar scrambled to his feet and grabbed his sword.

"I'll get you one day, demon!" he hissed at Claire before running off after the snakes. Claire whimpered and pressed closer to Damien, who wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

"What the brick just happened?!" Jay shouted, the electricity he had charged shooting into the sky. "Who was that, and who are you, and why does he want to kill you and-"

"Don't worry about it," Damien said coldly. "It's none of your business."

"That guy just tried to murder her," Jay pointed at Claire, "and then ran away when the snakes called retreat. Is he working with them? I want answers!"

Damien let go of Claire and shoved Jay back. "Well you aren't getting any! This is our business! We don't want you to know, so just STAY OUT OF IT!"

* * *

**Wow. Damien is pissed. Yeah, he's not too fond of the ninja at the moment. That'll be explained at a later date, but some of you may be able to figure it out ;D **

**Anyways, I have a special announcement. I need three more ninjas to complete the new team. Please be a dear and help me out. Or, if you don't want to be a dear, be a moose.**

**A few rules:**

**1. I want some good backgrounds! Please, no, "child of Garmadon," or "student of Wu," and if you can avoid it, no sibling of a canon ninja.**

**2. PM only. Sorry, but I have to obey the rules.**

**3. I need at least one more guy. Damien needs to have some balance!**

**Yeah. So, I don't much mind what form you use, it just needs a few basics. **

**Name, age, gender, color, power, weapon, crush and some background. I would also like to know what they think of the canon ninja and my OCs. Here is basic info on them. **

**Claire- Fifteen years old, very happy unless Oscar is involved. Mentally unstable, devoted to her friends and rather childish. **

**Damien- Seventeen years old, a very chivalrous boy. Best friend to Claire, very possessive and has a hero complex. **

**Oscar- Seventeen years old. Delusional, holds a grudge against Claire and has a soft spot for kids. **

**Please keep in mind, no giving them brown or yellow as a color, the elements of wood and light are taken, as are the weapons tonfa and kama. Everything else is fair game!**

**I think that's everything...**

**Oh! Almost forgot, all ninja are fair game at this point. If you want your OC to be in love with Jay, go ahead! If you want them in love with Nya, go ahead! This storyline will change by what you guys seem to like!**

**Sorry for this long-as-all-hell AN. **

**See you all soon! **

_**PLOP!**_


	2. So it begins

Blue mist started to swirl around the feet of the villagers, curing them of their hypnotism. Neither Jay, nor Damien, nor Claire noticed any of it. Damien and Jay were now right in each other's faces, glaring.

"Well you aren't going to get any answers!" Damien snapped. "I already told you, it's none of your concern!"

The other ninja were coming over by now, drawn by the yelling. Nya was with them once more, and an old man.

"What seems to be the problem?" the old man asked.

"This guy refuses to tell me what the heck is going on!" Jay pointed to Damien. "That girl over there was being threatened by a guy with a sword, and this guy was defending her, but then the snakes called retreat and the guy went with them, so I want to know what the brick is going on, but this guy says that it isn't any of my business, but it is because those snakes are our problem, and if he's working with them and he's after her, then we need to know so that he-" The old man held up his hand and the ninja fell quiet. The man walked over and examined Damien's face.

"You are strong and solid, constantly there for those who need you," he began, eyes narrowed. "Yet at the same time, you are flexible, wanting to accomodate for those you love."

"What are you talking about?" Damien asked, anger melting off his face to show pure confusion. The man chuckled and went to Claire, who was hugging herself and blinking back tears.

"You, my dear girl, are very bright. Your happiness shines in the face of sadness and uncertainty. Yet, your light is also a guide for others, it is a saving light."

"Um," she blinked and gave a shaky smile. "Thank you, I guess."

"What are you talking about, old man?" Damien pushed through the ninja to stand beside Claire. The man smiled and looked the two of them in the eye.

"I am Sensei Wu. And you two have the potential to master the ancient art of Spinjitsu."

"Like the ninja?!" Claire gasped, eyes shining. Part of Damien's confident air deflated at the mention of the ninja. Sensei chuckled again and nodded sagely.

"Yes. You two have the potential to become ninja."

"Whoa!" Cole stepped forward and pulled his hood off. "It was one thing when you sprang Kai on us, but two more? And what about Golden Weapons? And the Tornado of Creation?"

Sensei smiled and shook his head. "You four are the masters of the main elements that control our world. However, many other minor elements exist that are possible to learn. These two have the potential to be trained in two of those." He turned to Claire and Damien. "Well? Would the two of you be interested in coming to the monastery and testing my theory?"

Claire looked ready to burst from happiness. "You mean it?"

Damien, on the other hand was not as happy. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Aw, come on Day! It'll be an adventure, and a break to boot! I'm certain your parents won't mind, and I know mine wouldn't!" Claire begged, grabbing his arm. "It would be so cool! But I don't want to go if you won't go with me."

Damien looked down at her, seeing her looking up at him with wide, excited eyes. A small flush of pink grew on his cheeks and he nodded. "Alright Claire-Bear. I'll go with you."

She cheered and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Day," she whispered before hugging Sensei Wu as well. "And thank you Sensei. I promise I'll try really hard!"

Sensei looked surprised for a moment before smiling and patting her shoulder. "I'll hold you to that."

The other four ninja were watching with miffed expressions on their faces, but Nya smiled and began chattering excitedly with Claire. "Sensei," Kai started to protest when Sensei Wu held up his hand.

"Enough. It is getting late. You both need to make sure your parents would be alright with you staying and training. Nya, we must return to the monastery. Ninja, escort these two and make sure they don't run into any more trouble."

"I can watch out for the both of us," Damien protested. Sensei shot him a look and the boy nodded. "Fine."

Nya took the staff from the snakes, which Cole had retrieved, and went down the path with Sensei. Claire smiled and turned to the ninja, in awe of meeting her heroes. Damien sullenly started back for the village from which he and Claire had come.

"Hey," Jay walked next to Claire as they began walking. "I'm sorry if I upset you with my yelling. It was just confusing, y'know?"

She nodded sadly, eyes growing tearful again. "Yeah. I'm sorry, but can we not talk about him? It just...really bad memories that I don't want to get into right now."

Jay nodded and gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it, I'll ask your friend when he's not throwing a hissy fit!" Claire giggled and the two looked each other in the eyes before full-out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Zane asked, coming up next to them. Claire looked at him and giggled.

"Nothing, just being goofy!"

"Oh..." Zane shook his head and gave her a polite smile. "I am Zane. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Claire!" she chirped. "And Mr. Grumpy up ahead is Damien."

"I'm Jay," the blue ninja himself piped up. "The guy in black is Cole and the one in red is Kai."

"It's amazing to meet you all!" Claire gushed. "You four are my heroes!"

"Really?" Kai asked, his smile growing a little cocky.

"Really! You guys are so cool!"

Damien glanced back at them, seeing Claire talking and laughing. A hurt expression shone in his eyes and he kicked a rock down the path.

* * *

In the ice caverns, Lloyd was bemoaning the lack of sugar.

"Candy!" he complained. "I need candy!"

Oscar frowned to see the little boy so upset, but couldn't think of any way to help him.

In the corner, he noticed two snakes glaring at the boy as they conversed, and the teen glared back. The two shrank away and he nodded, satisfied.

* * *

Damien led the ninja to a modest house on the outskirts of the village. He pushed open the gate to the front yard and beckoned them in. Walking up to the front door, Damien was suddenly tackled by a purple blur.

"Ack! Marshal, get off!" he laughed, trying to shove off his attacker. It was a labrador, and it appeared purple because of the jacket it wore. Underneath was a furry black coat. Claire laughed and dropped to her knees.

"Marshal! Here baby!" she called, patting the ground. "How's my baby boy!" The large dog barked and jumped off Damien and into her arms. She laughed and let him lick her face as Damien stood up.

"Wait here," he grumbled to the ninja and went inside. Just before the door closed, Kai saw two children jump on him from beside the door.

"Hey Claire," he sat beside the girl as the others began playing with Marshal. "This is Damien's home, right?"

"Yeah," she giggled.

"Do you have any idea why he's so upset with us?"

"No idea," she shrugged. "He's normally very friendly."

Kai nodded, pulling a face. "So he has siblings?"

"Half-siblings," Claire corrected, tugging her bandana tighter. "His mom and stepdad live here. His dad is in Ninjago City."

"Oh," Kai looked at the house and then at the dog. "So he only spends half his time here?"

"A little more than half, his dad is very busy."

The red ninja opened his mouth to reply when Damien walked out of the house. He had a smile on his face and a boy hanging off his back. A little girl clutched his leg. Detatching them, he knelt to speak to them. The three shared a hug and he stood up, patting them each on the head. He turned, scowling when he saw Kai and Claire sitting together. Marshal barked and ran over to the kids, leaving the ninja to follow Damien as he stepped out of the yard.

Now Claire took the lead, chattering with Jay happily. Damien shuffled at the back of the group. Kai cast a glance at him and dropped out of Zane and Cole's conversation about Fist2Face to walk beside him.

"What do you want?" Damien grumbled, eyes on his feet.

"I wanna know why you hate us," Kai grumbled back, a half-smile on his face. Damien looked up and glowered at him.

"I don't hate you."

"With the way you're looking at us? Yeah, really feeling the love now."

"Shut up!" Damien looked down and kicked a can. "I just..." He looked up just in time to see Claire and Jay leaning on each other from laughing so hard. His face grew stony and a flash of anger shone in his eyes. Kai noticed and laughed.

"You like her."

"What are you talking about?!" Damien hissed, whipping around to look at the messy-haired teen. Kai grinned and poked Damien in the chest.

"You." He made a heart with his hands. "Like." He then pointed to Claire. "Her. You don't hate us, you're jealous!"

Damien scowled and looked down, blushing. "...Okay, so what if I do? She would never look at me the way she looks at the four of you."

Kai laughed and punched his shoulder playfully. "I don't think you have much to worry about," he advised. "Jay has a pretty bad crush on my sister. And Zane, well, I don't think he would recognize love if it danced with a lightup sign around it's neck. Cole...actually, he might, but I don't think Claire is his type."

Damien raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "And what about you?"

Kai laughed and flashed a toothy grin. "I'm not really interested in her. She's nice, but a bit too on the...oblivious side for me." Damien nodded.

"Well then, I guess you guys are alright," he smiled and lightly shoved Kai. The ninja smiled and shoved back. "Hey, do you think you could avoid telling anyone about this?"

Kai grinned and nodded, hitting the taller boy on the back of the head. "Sure, sure. Just don't go glaring at us every time we cough, okay?"

"It's a deal!"

* * *

The ninja looked around curiously as Claire led them into the small house not too far away from Damien's. She smiled and pointed to the couch and some chairs in the sitting room.

"If you guys want to sit, feel free," she offered before running off to some other part of the house. The group of males could hear her talking to two other people. Jay looked over at Damien and quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you going to tell us why that guy was so aggressive now?" he prodded and Cole smacked him over the back of the head. Damien shook his head and looked down.

"First of all," Damien looked up and frowned at the four teens, "I still don't think this is any of your business. The only reason I'm telling you anything is because I don't want you bugging Claire about it. Second of all, that guy is named Oscar. He's convinced that Claire is a demon and that he needs to kill her."

It was quiet for a moment before Jay spoke up. "She's not, is she?"

"The odds of that being true are approxamately 2000 to 1," Zane put in.

"She isn't," Damien growled, eyes clouding over in rememberance. "He just thinks she is. Ever since the accident-" he cut himself off and cleared his throat. "Oscar has believed Claire to be a demon for the past seven years."

"That's terrible!" Cole frowned. "He needs serious mental help."

Damien sighed. "That's what I've been saying ever since he first openly attacked her. But she insists that she can convince him herself and that she doesn't want to drag anybody else in." He sighed and ran a finger down the side of his face, tracing a scar that just missed his left eye. "Because he won't hesitate to hurt them."

"That's where you got the scar," Zane quietly observed and Damien smiled sadly.

"Yeah. First time he attacked, I was stupid enough to get in the way. I'm lucky he didn't blind me."

Claire came skipping back in and the male immediately brightened. "I got the okay!" she smiled and pulled Jay and Zane to their feet. "Let's goooo!"

Jay laughed and the two resumed their animated conversation. Damien smiled at the happy smile on her face and followed with Kai, Cole and Zane.

* * *

The next morning, the ninja were woken to the sound of Claire shreiking and Nya shouting. All four were out of bed and into the kitchen within a second, seeing Damien frozen in the doorway. Nya and Claire were beating at a small fire on the stove. Zane ran over and imitated a move Sensei had showed him yesterday, using it to put out the fire.

"What happened?" Kai asked worriedly, coming over to the two girls. Claire pulled the pan that the fire had been in off the stove and gazed into it sadly.

"I was trying to make breakfast for you guys," she whimpered, starting to tear up. "I was making eggs when they suddenly caught fire."

"Hey, it's okay," Jay soothed, taking the pan and setting it in the sink.

"Nothing burned down," Kai assured her.

"I'll make breakfast!" Cole offered.

"NO!" the other three protested.

"How about we just have cereal," Kai suggested. "That's nice and non-flammable."

* * *

Oscar followed Lloyd and Slitheraa through the forest, eyes sharp and sword drawn in case of attack. The three stopped when they came to a wide tree that rested smack dab in the center of a clearing. Three other, taller trees stood in a triagle around it, each equidistant.

"This is perfect!" Lloyd cheered. "I want to build my treehouse right here!"

"Assssssss you wisssssssh," Slitheraa bowed. He made his way to the tree in the center and made a mark on it with his claws. Oscar's eyes grew distant and he became lost in a memory.

_There was a tree in the backyard, a big, sturdy oak. Dad had built a small room amongst the leaves, a small haven just for the three of them. Oscar remembered being five and seeing it for the first time, leading her up the ladder with him behind the both of them. _

_"We'll be a club!" Oscar decided that day. "And none of us will ever turn away from it. Right?"_

_Both of them had agreed. But two years later, she died and he left Oscar. They both left him, turned their backs on him. And now he wanted to-_

"-car! OSCAR!" Lloyd shouted, using a stick to smack the tall boy on the head. "What are you doing? I said we were going home!"

"Sorry Lloyd," Oscar rubbed his head. "Just got a bit lost thinking about things."

* * *

Sensei was meditating in his room when he heard the familiar shouts of his ninja. Thinking that they were playing video games when they were supposed to be training, he left the room and peered into their game room. But nobody was there.

Heading to the courtyard, Wu saw his four ninjas training with the two newcomers doing basic conditioning in the corner. He smiled.

_And so it begins, _the old man thought.

* * *

**Ugh, short chaprer is short. So sorry for disappearing, a loooooooooooooot of stuff has been happening. Yeah. **

**Well, I want to thank everybody who has supported me with this story, it means a lot. Thanks to everyone who has sent in an OC so far, I think I may have the team. May. I'm still open to having my mind changed, but they have to be good. I admit, I was disappointed that only one male OC was sent in. Thanks to GarnettFox for being that one!**

**So yeah. Go ahead and send in OCs if you still like. **

**Violet is out. Peace, love, and PASTAAAAAAAAAAA~!**


	3. Welcome ninjas of Light and Wood

**Sorry this took so long. I have had so little time lately. But, better late than never.**

* * *

Kai was practicing his Spinjitzu, the flaming tornado whipping around the courtyard. Cole was using his scythe and running the course, while Jay was deflecting arrows with the help of his nunchucks. Zane was merely sitting in the middle of it, meditating. In one corner, Claire and Damien were using a stationary punching bag to train. Zane suddenly looked up and jumped, distracting Jay to where an arrow lodged in his weapon. He stole Cole's sword and sliced a dummy with it, much to the black ninja's annoyance. Abandoning the weapon, Zane spun into his Spinjitzu tornado, freezing the course and causing the spinning Kai to slip. The white ninja finished by kicking the punching bag and sending it flying into the two new recruits.

"This roof isn't big enough for the four of us," Kai grumbled, walking over to where Jay and Cole were glaring at Zane. Claire and Damien followed, him holding his head.

"Correction," Cole snarked, "this roof isn't big enough, for him!"

"It's like he's in his own world. I bet he can't even hear us!" Jay directed the last part at Zane, who didn't seem to notice it.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Claire tried to defend the white ninja. "He's probably just distracted by the Serpentine being out and all."

"Zane is just weird," Kai commented as Sensei walked up.

"What is weird?" the old man asked. "Someone who is different? Or someone who is different from you?"

"No Sensei, he's, weird weird," Cole protested. He remembered a few mornings ago when he had been reading the paper in the bathroom. Zane had come in and begun brushing his hair, much to Cole's chagrin.

Jay nodded in agreement, remembering when he and Nya had been watching their soap opera a week ago. At one of the most emotional, romantic, heart-wrenching parts, Zane had burst out laughing hysterically.

Kai rubbed his stomach as he remembered what happened just last night. He had gone out for a midnight snack, only to find that the makings of a sandwhich were gone. A note was left in the back of the fridge. _I'm sorry, I consumed the last of the deli meat. Cheese? _Kai frowned. Zane.

The group looked at Zane, who was bowing to one of the dummies. It smacked him in retaliation.

"We like the guy. He's really smart," Kai provided. "He's just...a little..._off_ sometimes."

"Zane is a brother," Sensei chided. "And brothers are often different. I should know."

In the background, Damien had an arm around Claire, who looked like she was ready to cry. He hugged her close and she sighed into his chest.

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing the girl to yelp and Damien to hold her tighter.

"Mail!" Cole, Jay and Kai shouted, running and opening the door. Mr. Kurosake, the mailman, sighed and began going through the bag.

"Let's see..." the older man huffed and pulled out a bundle of letters. "A letter from Jay's parents, Kai has a fan letter...oh! Something from Cole's father!"

The two ninja took their letters and went off. Cole looked at the letter before tossing it over his shoulder. "What, no package?" he griped. "I'm expecting a package from Creatures, Beast and Beyond."

"No, I don't think-ah!" Mr. Kurosake smiled and handed the male a package. "Here it is!"

"Alright!" Cole cheered. "Rocky's going to love this!" He ran off and Mr. Kurosake chuckled.

"Oh, and is there a Claire Villanova here?" he held up a small envelope. "I was asked to bring this to her by her parents."

"Here," Claire stepped forward and took the letter. She tore it open and began to read as Jay and Kai went over to Zane.

"Hey Zane," Jay asked, "how come you never hear from your parents?"

"I don't remember my parents. I've been an orphan all of my life," the white ninja blinked at them a bit sadly.

"You mean you've never had a home?" Kai asked, looking upset for his friend.

"The monastery is your home now," Sensei said. Zane nodded sadly and walked into the building.

Cole opened the package and pulled out a dead frog with a curling tongue. "Liver and toads Rocky," he smiled and held it up for his panting dragon. "Your favorite!" He tossed the treat to his partner and Rocky gobbled it down, grunting happily.

* * *

By way of the hypnotic bond, Skales and another snake known as Rattla were watching through Cole's eyes.

"I can't believe you hypnotizzzzzzed one of the ninja!" Rattla spoke in awe. "Doesssssss the general know?"

"Coursssssssse not!" Skales snapped. "He'ssssss been put under the control of Lloyd! But I plan to ussse it to my bessssst interesssssst!" Rattla smiled evily and moved away as Slitheraa came over.

"Everyone works while you two sssssslack!" he scolded. "Asssss my sssssecond in command, I exxpect more from you SSSSSSkalesss!"

"Yessssss General," Skales bowed his head in respect. Slitheraa turned and began to leave, Skales following. "General, you know I am mossssst loyal to you. But I mussssst quesssstion thisssss childisssssh agenda! The ninja have sssssstolen our sssssstaff, yet you instruct your army to build thisssssss playhousssse for Lloyd and his ginger-haired friend?! Ssssnakessss don't belong in treessss..."

"You know better than to quesssstion my judgement SSSSSkalesssss!" Slitheraa hissed menacingly to the shorter Serpentine. I'll pretend you didn't asssssk-"

"Hey!" Lloyd's voice interrupted. "If we plan to rule Ninjago from here, this elevator needs to have a trap door! I want more booby traps!" Oscar lounged against one of the posts of the elevator with a watchful look on his face. He kept a careful eye on the boy near the unobstructed ledge.

"Asssss you wissssh, young Garmadon," Slitheraa bowed to Lloyd and then waved his hand dissmissively at Skales.

"Asssss you wish, General," Skales bowed and went to get to work. From his perch, Oscar watched the snake suspiciously.

* * *

At the monastery, it was time for dinner. Sensei Wu sat at the head of a table with Nya on the end of the bench next to him. Jay sat next to her and Claire sat next to him. Directly across from Sensei was Damien, with Cole and then Kai. Jay was hungrily stuffing appetizers in his mouth.

"I love it when it's Zane's night to cook!" he closed his eyes happily. Kai chuckled and nodded.

"Hey, I didn't hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night!" Cole put in with a proud grin on his face.

"That's because it glued our mouth's shut!" Kai pointed out. "Did you really think Jay would be quiet all through dinner, especially with guests?"

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "Please don't make that again."

"I thought it was okay," Claire piped up and Damien ruffled her hair.

"That's because every time you make something, it comes out burnt beyond recognition."

The entire table laughed at the two, Cole pouting and Claire giggling a bit as Zane walked in with a frilly pink apron on. "Dinner it served."

The group at the table took one look at the white ninja before everyone burst into laughter.

"What is so funny?" Zane asked.

"Zane!" Nya gasped. "You're wearing a- even I wouldn't wear that!"

"You laugh because I take steps to make sure I am clean after cooking?"

"We laugh because you came out wearing that ridiculous outfit!" Kai scoffed.

"I think it's cute on him," Claire piped up.

"I guess we don't share the same sense of humor," Zane said sadly.

"What about this?" Cole asked before picking up the plate of appetizers in front of him and smashing it in Kai's face. The red ninja glared before the entire table laughed again. Sensei Wu got up and picked up a soup bowl, carrying it to his students. "How could you not find tha- whah!"

Sensei had dumped the soup on Cole's head, much to the amusement of the others. Sensei chuckled and placed a hand on Zane's shoulder. The other went on Cole's.

"Now you are brothers," he said with laughter in his voice. The entire group sitting began laughing and throwing food at each other.

"Hey!" Claire stood up and tried to get everyone to calm down. Only Damien stopped. Jay grabbed a bowl of mashed potatoes and shoved it in her face. The girl gasped and then smiled evily. "You're gonna pay for that, Blueberry!" She tackled him to the ground and the two struggled playfully. Jay managed to pin Claire and proceeded to smear food in her face. Neither noticed the jealous looks Damien and Nya were giving them.

* * *

After dinner, while the others were cleaning up, Zane took out the trash. Sighing, he took off his ruined apron and looked up to the stars. A chirping call took his attention and brought it to the falcon sitting on a branch. Zane tilted his head, feeling that the bird was looking at him directly. The falcon copied his actions. Zane shook his head, surprised and again was copied. Thinking, the the white ninja shifted from foot to foot and flapped his arms. The bird chirped and imitated him. The ninja was shocked, and couldn't help but feel an attraction to follow the bird. Glancing back to his home, he decided that he would not be missed for a while and followed the bird.

Thirty minutes later, the falcon was leading Zane through the Forest of Tranquility, the white ninja slowly becoming short of breath.

"Where are you taking me, my mysterious friend?" he asked himself as he stared at the bird. It alighted on a branch and chirped, motioning with its' head. Zane stepped forward and gasped at what he saw.

Serpentine were building a tree fort, under the direction of Lloyd and the boy Claire and Damien had called Oscar.

"If I see one girl in here," Lloyd was ranting as he stood atop a plank being carried by four soldiers, "I'm gonna go balistic." The ginger watched carefully, crouched on the lowest level.

Zane looked up as the bird chirped and motioned back towards the monastery with its' head.

"Thank you, my friend," Zane smiled and ran back to get the others.

* * *

After cleaning up, the others were sitting around the table once more, enjoying hot tea (Sensei, Damien and Nya), coffee (Kai, Jay and Cole) and hot chocolate (Claire).

"So," Sensei began, putting his cup down and looking at Claire and Damien. "You two have worked very hard today. Have you learned anything?"

"Oh yes sir," Damien nodded. "This was definitely very interesting. The course was a great challenge."

"You ran the course?" Sensei raised an eyebrow. "That is very impressive."

"We've been fighting for a while," Claire put in. "Two years. Basics will only do so much."

"If that is the case," Sensei smiled, "then perhaps you can give me a demonstration of your skills? Think of it as a final exam."

The two glanced at each other before nodding.

"Excellent. Ninja, grab them the proper equipment." The three ninja nodded and ran from the room. Sensei and the other three stood up. "I wish for the two of you to spar with the others," Sensei told the two trainees. "If you can hold your own for an acceptable length of time, then you shall be fully trained as masters of Spinjitzu."

He led the the two and Nya outside, to where the three were waiting. Kai handed Damien a kendo suit, Jay handing a matching one to Claire.

"Ninja, you suit up as well," Sensei Wu instructed. The three nodded and pulled on the suits. "No powers, but use of your weapons is expected," he added.

"Yes Sensei," the students bowed.

"Ninja, it is the three of you against Claire and Damien. Begin!"

Claire dropped to the ground and rolled as Kai swung his sword at her. She pulled her tonfa out and smacked Jay in the shins. The blue ninja yelped and accidentally released a stream of lightning at Cole, which ended up traveling into Damien as well, the two being connected by their weapons. Both yelled in pain and fell. Damien recovered first and pushed the other off. Jay laughed nervously and fell as Claire smacked the back of his knees.

The two grappled for a moment before she shoved him away and Sensei signaled for him to accept defeat. Claire launched herself at Cole, who held Damien in a headlock while Kai tried to grab his feet. The black ninja knocked the girl down and pinned her quickly, allowing him to help Kai take Damien down. The two jumped up to continue the fight when Sensei called for enough.

"You fought well," Sensei commented. Claire and Damien smiled, then deflated at his next words. "But you have much yet to learn. Claire, your reflexes are quick, but you have much to learn about control, and about judging your opponents. You were rash in rushing into battle."

Claire nodded and looked down slightly.

"Damien," Sensei continued. "You were quick to take on a larger opponent, but you held your own. You must learn to conserve your strength and save it for when it is needed."

Damien nodded respectfully. "Understood."

"You both fought bravely," the old man smiled. "And you have earned your place to train as Masters of Spinjitzu."

The two smiled and hugged each other as the other three ninja cheered. The old man whipped into a Spinjitzu tornado, exactly as he had done for the original four. When they stopped spinning, Damien was dressed in a deep brown and Claire in a cheerful yellow.

"Yellow ninja of Light, Claire," Sensei smiled warmly and pat her on the head. "And brown ninja of Wood, Damien." The old man and the student bowed to each other before shaking hands. "I expect great things from you both."

"Thank you Sensei," they grinned and hugged again before they were mobbed by the other four condratulating them.

* * *

The dark of night made the shadows of the lanterns that much bigger. Two people, supposedly both young women in their early twenties walked past a doorway.

"But why do you have to go," the shorter one pleaded, staring at the other, who was identical. "Why can't you stay here. With me. Nobody else understands you like I do."

"I have to," the taller answered, their voice deeper than it should be for a woman. "It's the only way I can learn to control this."

As they spoke, a long tendril of shadow rose from the ground and reached for them. Both girls jumped away, the taller beating it back.

"But we can learn together," the shorter pleaded. "You're my twin. We need each other."

"I'm sorry," the taller turned and started walking away. "But I have to."

"I hate you!" the shorter screamed. "Never come back here again, I hate you!"

The taller figure looked back, tears in their eyes. "I'm sorry Dawn," they whispered, walking away.

* * *

**Okay! So! I have the other members of the team! **

**Blair, from MasterOfPaperPlanes.**

**Sara, from xInkblotx**

**and **

**Dusk, from GarnettFox**

**Thanks for all the OCs, they are amazing! And thank you for everyone who reads and reveiws *hint hint* in advance. You can't understand how much it means to me to read the reveiws. Even a flame lets me know that you guys care! XD **

**I'm a little out of it, sick, but who cares! I updated! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**


	4. Moving on

Zane was barely breaking a sweat as he led the other five ninjas through the forest.

"And why are we following Zane again?" Jay panted as they ran. "Does he even know where he's going?"

"Just ask him then!" Damien rolled his eyes.

Zane, tell us again how you stumbled on Lloyd's 'secret headquarters'?" Kai made the emphasis on the secret headquarters to show he thought the whole enterprise was just a joke.

"I followed a bird," Zane blinked at them, not getting the sarcasm.

"Was it a cuckoo bird?" Jay asked and everyone except Zane and Damien laughed.

"No," Zane shook his head. "Everyone knows that cuckoo birds are not indigenous to this area."

Kai sighed and the group ran on, stopping in shock when they came to the clearing and hiding behind trees.

The place was swarming with Serpentine. Carrying tools and wood and other building supplies, they were building a large structure with three trees supporting it.

"Look!" Damien hissed, pointing to where Oscar was leaning against the base of one of the trees.

"If I see one girl in here," their attention was drawn to Lloyd on top of a plank that was being carried by four Serpentine. "I'm gonna go ballistic!"

Claire giggled. "He's kind of adorable when you think about it!"

"Adorable?" Cole laughed a bit. "Yeah, as adorable as a naked mole rat."

"Those are so cute though!" Claire protested.

"Can we debate this later?!" Kai snapped, looking up at the treehouse. "It looks like that thing is held up by those ropes there..."

"Then let's break them!" Jay grinned. The six ninja took off. Cole hid under the elevator and let it carry him to the top. Jay and Zane climbed A tree next to the treehouse and Kai grabbed a rope, slicing through with his sword and riding it up to the platform with one of the ropes. Damien clambered up the side of the treehouse, brown uniform helping him to blend in. Claire giggled to herself and followed Jay and Zane.

Lloyd was back in the treehouse with Oscar beside him, pacing the second floor as the child barked orders to the Serpentine.

Kai traveled up the first rope and cut the line, causing the treehouse to shake. Jay did the same on the second line.

"Cole!" Kai shouted, jumping back to the treehouse. He wobbled slightly and was steadied by Damien. "Don't cut the rope until we're off this thing!"

The structure was shaking and groaning, snakes falling and fleeing.

"Whah!" Lloyd shouted as he nearly fell over the edge of the level he was on, only stopped when Oscar grabbed his cloak and pulled him back. He looked up and growled. "Hey! I said no ninja! General! Do something!"

Slitheraa turned to Skales, who shook his head and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Retreat!" he shouted, the snakes only too happy to obey. Oscar and Lloyd were swept up in the rush and carried out. Skales looked up at Cole and raised an arm, pointing dramatically at him. "You will be loyal to me now!"

Cole froze and his eyes slowly changed from their bright, emerald-green to a dark, angry red. He growled and glared down at the ninja, eyes filled with a sudden blood lust.

Claire clung to Damien as the treehouse gave another shake. "The snakes are all gone, can we please get down now!" she shouted, eyes wide. Zane nodded in agreement.

"It would certainly be wise to get off now, before this entire structure collapses!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Cole shouted, jumping down to land in their midst. "Not until you deal with me!"

"Cole, what are you talking abou-" Kai blinked and stared at his eyes. "Guys! He's been hypnotized!"

"What?!" Jay panicked. "But...but the staff is back at the monastery! How are we going to snap him out of it?!"

"Maybe we can talk him out of it?" Claire suggested weakly, only for Cole to lunge at the group, knocking Kai off the edge. Zane managed to catch Kai by the foot and flip him back up, while Cole now had Damien and Claire cornered at the edge of the roof and looked about ready to slash at them.

"Jay, use your weapon!" Kai urged. "See if you can shock him out of it!"

"Okay..." Jay hesitated a moment. "Sorry Cole...this is gonna hurt you a lot more than it'll hurt me!"

"Hey, leave them alone!" Zane threw a piece of wood at Cole, hitting him in the back. Cole whipped around, glaring, only to be hit in the chest by a ball of lightning from Jay's nunchucks. The cornered newcomers scooted past and the entire group waited with bated breath. Cole shot up and opened his eyes, they were still red.

"That didn't do anything!" Jay yelped. Cole growled and ran forward, grabbing the blue ninja by the collar and threw him off the edge of the roof. Jay screamed and grabbed a rope that went flying past, using it to swing back onto a corner of the roof. "That is a serious safety hazard!" he shouted. The treehouse shook again and Cole ran up the last remaining line to the platform, preparing to cut the rope.

"Cole, stop!" Kai shouted.

"No Cole! No!" Zane pleaded.

"What are we gonna do?!" Claire wailed, only for a soft melody to start up. Cole shook his head as if there was some sort of fly buzzing around his head.

"Sensei!" Jay, Kai and Zane shouted in unison. Sensei Wu was on the back of Kai's dragon, Flame, with Nya at the reins.

"We gotta go guys, because this place is coming down!" Nya shouted and all six ninja jumped onto the dragon's back. Sensei stopped the playing and they flew off.

"We must go quickly!" the old man shouted. "The monastery is unguarded."

*insert a Spinjitzu timeskip here!*

By the time they got there, all that was left of the monastery was smoldering ash and a few feeble flames.

"The training equipment...gone..." Kai gasped as Zane ordered his dragon Shard to put out the fire.

"Our video games! GONE!" Jay wailed dramatically, clinging to the fire ninja. The others just looked around in shock. Claire walked over to a small pile of ash that looked as if it had been pushed together, finding a white envelope addressed to her. She picked it up and opened it, reading the letter inside.

_You think you're smart, hiding with the ninja. You may have them under your spell, but I know your game. I will hunt you down, I will kill you and I will set my sister's body to rest. You won't win in the end demon. You better know that. Your time is limited, so watch your back. _

Claire blinked back tears and looked up as Zane flew off on Shard. "Where's he going?" she asked quietly. The others were staring after him in shock.

"We were yelling at him," Cole spoke slowly, like he was in shock. "So he ran away..."

* * *

The Serpentine were loud and rowdy as they walked back into the tomb, Skales at the head and carrying the staff. Lloyd and Oscar were being dragged along, hands tied and the rope being dragged by another Serpentine.

"General, you aren't gonna let them just take your staff!" Lloyd leaned over to beg Slitheraa. "Y-you are still under my control, right?"

Slitheraa blinked and nodded, slithering to the front of the group and grabbing for the staff. "Enough! I'm ssssstill General of thisssssss tribe!" He and Skales glared at each other. "You will return my sssstaff at oncccccce!"

"No! You've been in charge long enough! It'ssssss time ssssssomeone elssssssse was in charge!"

The Serpentine that was holding the ropes leading Oscar and Lloyd passed them off to another snake, taking the staff from the two bickering snakes. "There'ssssss only one way to ssssssettle thissss. In...THE SSSSSSLITHER PIT!"

The entire tribe cheered and yelled. "SSSSSSlither Pit! SSSSSSSlither Pit!"

Lloyd and Oscar were tied to an icicle, while Slitheraa and Skales moved into the center of the cavern. The warrior who was holding the staff appeared on a higher platform.

"You know the rules!" he shouted. "There are no rules! But in the Sssssssssslither Pit, whatever I ssssssay goesssss!" Skales and Slitheraa bowed to show they understood. "Begin!"

The two snakes began to circle each other, both trying to find an opening for attack. Slitheraa moved first, using his tail to try and swipe Skales' feet out from under him. Skales jumped to avoid the attack, twisting to steady himself. The warrior threw a punch at him, caught by the superior snake. They fought for a while, the Serpentine cheering for their favorite to win.

"Go General!" Lloyd shouted, Oscar echoing his cry. The little boy suddenly noticed a piece of paper that was embedded in the ice. Checking to make sure the guard wasn't watching them, Lloyd stepped over to the ice and stretched to reach it, eventually managing to get his fingertips around it and pulling it into his hands. Lloyd hid it in his pocket and exchanged a smirk with Oscar before they turned back to the fight. The two snakes now had weapons, Slitheraa an axe and a sheild, Skales a dagger and a katana. The General threw his axe, which Skales dodged and the weapon embedded in the wall. The impact sent tremors up to the ceiling and knocked an icicle down on Slitheraa, forcing him to use his shield. As soon as the other's eyes left him, Skales delivered a kick to the jaw. The General glared at him and rattled his tail, sending his hypnotic power at his underling. Skales looked away and thought for a moment before he began to sway back and forth. The movement was fluid and graceful, entrancing everyone who was watching. Skales then ran forward and delivered a kick to his jaw, flipping backwards and landing.

"He used FangKwanDo!" one of the watching Serpentine gasped in admiration.

"Get up General!" Lloyd shouted. Slitheraa struggled to sit up, but didn't have the strength. Skales grinned as he stood over the other.

"We have a winner!" the referee shouted, handing Skales the staff. The victor of the fight began to glow a gentle gold color, while the loser glowed a dull silver. The tail that Slitheraa had dissolved slowly, leaving behind a pair of legs. The tail then reappeared on Skales, marking him as the leader of the tribe.

"YOU!" Skales shouted, pointing at Oscar and Lloyd. "Leave, and never return!" The two human boys were untied and roughly carried to the entrance, then dumped in the snow without a thought. They sat up, glaring and spitting and Lloyd took the chance to examine the paper he had stolen.

"Oscar..." he grinned, looking at his self-appointed guardian. "This is a map to the other Serpentine tombs..."

Oscar grinned. "And the one thing a snake hates...is another snake!" He began to imagine the two warring tribes, fighting each other and the ninja. He pictured them killing the demon and him being able to put his sister to rest properly.

"Let's go Oscar. We'll make my dad proud of me yet!"

* * *

It was near sunset, and the remaining ninja were camped at the edge of the desert. Flame, Wisp and Rocky were curled up not too far away from the small fire where Kai, Cole, Jay, Nya, Damien and Sensei sat with kabobs of some sort in their hands. Claire was sitting a short way away, refusing to look at any of them.

"What are we eating again?" Kai asked, disgust in his voice.

"Mud newt," Cole shuddered. "N-not bad for something that lives underground!"

Jay spat his mouthful out in disgust and threw a rock at a tin can. "Yes!" he cheered. "A new high sc-score!" He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"We should be grateful for what we still have," Sensei sighed. He looked over at his two newest students, Claire staring off into space and Damien trying to coax her over to the fire. "You should come and sit with us Claire. It will be getting cold when the sun goes down."

"With all due respect Sensei," Claire said quietly. "I think some cold would be good. It clears my head and I need to think. Thank you though."

"What do we have anyways?" Cole growled. "Our home is gone!"

"You know," Kai stared at his kabob. "I don't miss the monastery so much...what I really miss, is Zane!"

"Zane?" Nya said, voice wondering.

"Yeah, Zane!" Jay spoke with a bit of an edge to his voice. "You know! The smart, strange one!"

"No!" Nya shook her head and pointed. "Zane!" The white ninja was coming over a ridge of rocks, much to the joy of everyone else.

"Zane!" the group by the fire shouted and they all jumped up to hug their friend. They were all laughing and smiling, even Claire, who had perked up when she heard her friend coming back.

"Why is everyone so happy to see me?" Zane smiled, oblivious. "Is it my turn to make dinner?"

"Yes Zane," Sensei laughed. "We would love for you to make dinner."

"But I already made it!" Zane smiled and led them towards where he had come from. "I can't explain it, but I feel this strange connection with the falcon. It's as if he's been sent to guide us." He led them over a ridge and they saw a large dragon ship, outlined against the sunset. "Our new home."

"Wow!" the others gasped. Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Is that...pie I smell?" he grinned and Zane smiled brightly.

"I made burbleberry, and apple!"

"Zane, you're the best!" Claire shouted and the others took off running, leaving Zane and Damien with Sensei.

"You have done well Zane," Sensei smiled and pat him on the back. "One day, we will find your family."

"But..." Zane looked at the others who were running onto the ship, Jay, Kai and Claire spazzing out while Cole and Nya appeared calmer. "I have already found them."

Damien grinned and pat his shoulder. "I'm proud to call you my brother," he smiled and Zane put a hand on his shoulder as well.

"There is something special about you Zane," Sensei smiled. "You have greatness in your future."

"Sensei...will I be, the green ninja?" Zane asked.

"It is too soon to tell," Sensei shook his head. "But, if it's in your future, you'll know." He smiled and moved behind the boys, gently guiding them forward. "Now let's go, it would be a shame to waste all that pie." They walked off and went into the ship, joining the others for their meal. This time, it was Zane who started the food fight, joining everyone in their laughter.

Over on a ridge of rock, Oscar and Lloyd glared into their dining room, scoffing at their laughter. But their disdain was different. Oscar looked sad, like he was mourning something. Lloyd however, looked to be longing for something. Like he wanted the joy and comfort of a group, of a family. Oscar noticed this and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on kid," the seventeen year old told the nine year old as he guided him away. "We'll get them in the end."

* * *

The ice had melted, leaving most of the ashes in the ruins of the monastery as a black, muddy paste. A short figure with long brown hair and silvery blue eyes walked up the steps panting. Their eyes were wide when the took in the once great buildings. "What...what happened?" they gasped. They knelt down and let the ash trickle through their fingers. "Damn...I missed them..."

A shadow rose from the ground and wobbled towards him in the vague shape of a human with spiky hair. "Master..." the creature's voice whispered in the person's mind.

"Get away!" the person shouted, running down the steps. _I have to find them and get them to help me,_ they thought, running.

* * *

**Okay! Sorry this took so long, but I had a MAJOR case of writer's block for this. But I'm done now!~ Princey, you owe me! I won the bet! XD Anyways, thanks to anyone who bothers to read this, and double the thanks to anyone who reviews! You rule for reviewing! Seriously, it makes me feel so good to know you guys like it. Or don't like it. I wouldn't care if there was a flame! It would at least tell me someone isn't happy and that I have someone who cares enough to tell me. **


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